Lucas Wilson’s Shame-Sex Attraction stands out as an essential and deeply moving work on several levels. For anyone seeking to understand the reality of ex-gay/reparative therapy or LGBTQ conversion “therapy,” this book is a time-saving alternative to scouring thousands of survivor stories online or purchasing countless individual memoirs. Wilson’s compilation offers a profound and accessible insight into the discredited religious practices that have harmed tens of thousands of LGBTQ individuals—and, tragically, claimed many lives over the decades.

One thing I particularly liked is the variety of ways survivors have chosen to share their stories. As someone who has listened to survivor stories for 25 years, I’m familiar with the recurring patterns and shared experiences that often emerge. Yet, Wilson’s collection is refreshing in its diversity of narrative styles. For example:

Lexie presents their story as a script, masterfully capturing not just the painful and awkward dialogue between a mother and daughter, but also the nuanced emotional and physical context of the interactions.
Nathan, who’s written auto-fiction, tells us about all the horrendous things of being raised in a family devoted to Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), he left out of his novel.
Kim, a bisexual man and former leader in Australia’s “change is possible” movement, chronicles his first visit to an Exodus conference in the U.S. with his supportive wife through a compelling day-by-day account.

This isn’t to say that the other stories are lacking. All the stories offer a rich tapestry of lived experiences, employing vivid imagery and candid descriptions of emotional and physical struggles that keep readers fully engaged.

Wilson’s, a survivor himself, twenty-page introduction is another standout element of this book. It provides a well-written, concise summary of the history of conversion “therapy”, the erroneous beliefs underpinning it, and the devastating psychological and emotional toll it exacts on its victims.

Some survivors featured in this book pursued conversion ”therapy” voluntarily, driven by internalised shame or fear. Others were coerced by well-meaning but ignorant parents. These motives highlight the dangers faced by LGBTQ people in conservative Christian communities and cultures—environments where acceptance is only granted by complete conformity to heterosexuality. One has to look elsewhere into affirming spaces to see LGBTQ people thrive as people of faith.

Of course, the voices in this book are only a fraction of those affected. Many survivors cannot or will not revisit their painful pasts, knowing the risk of re-traumatisation. Some have intentionally shut that door forever. PTSD is an all-too-common consequence for the majority of conversion “therapy” victims.

And then there are those who can no longer speak for themselves. Thoughts of suicide permeate many survivor stories, born from the unbearable internal conflict, false shame, and self-hatred imposed by religious ignorance and prejudice. The true toll of lives lost is immeasurable. One survivor told me that, during his 16 years in conversion “therapy”, he made “a lot of friends. Of 40 individuals he knew, only six are still alive—one from natural causes, the rest by suicide”. Similarly, Steve, who spent 12 years in the now-defunct Mormon program called Evergreen, revealed that “of the fifteen men who were a part of the Denver chapter, one-third committed suicide.”

Wilson’s Shame-Sex Attraction is more than a collection of survivor stories; it’s a battle cry. It’s a bold, unflinching contribution to the global movement to criminalise these barbaric practices. Therapists, legislators, politicians, and religious leaders questioning traditional beliefs about sexuality and gender identity would gain invaluable insight by reading this book. For Christians who cling to archaic notions that being gay or transgender is abnormal or something to be “fixed,” this book pulls no punches. It lays bare the human cost of such beliefs and forces readers to confront the harm caused by attempts to make others conform to a distorted notion of “normalcy.”

For survivors, this book is a lifeline—a testament that they are not alone and that the tide is finally turning. The shame is not theirs to carry; it belongs to those who perpetuate these damaging practices.

There will be times you’ll be shocked and horrified. I mean, what sort of person—calling themselves a marriage and family counsellor—suggests to a grown man that sniffing a jar of dog faeces while looking at pictures of attractive men will “cure” him of his homosexuality? This grotesque example underscores the sheer ignorance and inhumanity that has defined this movement for decades.

In the end, Shame-Sex Attraction is not just a book—it’s a rallying call for justice, compassion, and the eradication of one of the most harmful religious practices of our time.

Anthony Venn-Brown OAM

Author of the bestseller A Life of Unlearning – a preacher’s struggle with his homosexuality, church and faith

Founder and CEO of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International (ABBI)